Two shopping days remain until the NBA trade deadline, and the Mavericks, as always, are ready to be inundated as the prime destination for every single name that pops up in the rumor mill.

"That's because of my past," Mark Cuban said.

Yes, the Mavericks have been wheelers and dealers in the past, at least in terms of being involved in conversations if not actually pulling off blockbusters -- although they've done their share of that, too.

Breaking down the Mavericks' possible moves at the NBA trade deadline

This year, things will be a little different. The Mavericks aren't looking for any sort of major moves. They have turned over the roster each of the last three summers, and at some point, they are going to hang on to the key components they have amassed.

This is the point.

Yeah, I know. We've heard this before, right?

Why is it for real this time?

No. 1 -- and this is true for 12 other teams in the Western Conference -- what are they going to do that gets them even close to the conversation that begins and ends with San Antonio and Golden State?

Those teams are so far beyond everybody else in the West that it makes no sense to make a move -- even one of marginal significance -- since it still wouldn't put a team such as the Mavericks, Houston or Memphis in the same stratosphere as the Warriors or Spurs.

Second, the Mavericks don't have a lot of assets to trade. Their first-round draft picks are encumbered thanks to the Rajon Rondo deal last season. They have some expiring contracts, but they don't want to give up on this season without giving the current crop a fighting chance in the playoffs.

And they would be foolish to give up on young bucks Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, both of whom have shown enough lately to be considered building blocks for the future.

Anderson's charisma has overmatched his game so far. But that's starting to change. He's got a chance to be the athletic, young wing player the Mavericks haven't really had since ... oh, maybe since Michael Finley.

Powell is a young big man who is quick and has a great feel for the game. That's where the NBA is headed in terms of big men, so he and Anderson should not be expendable under any circumstances -- short of a no-brainer deal.

Speaking of which, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, James Harden and anybody else you might hear about with star appeal should quickly be dismissed. For Howard and Harden, can you really see Houston honcho Daryl Morey dealing either of those franchise icons up the road to Dallas?

Neither can I.

Love is unlikely to be moved. And other superstars are even less likely to be dealt.

Not that this means the Mavericks are standing pat. They have needs. They always want another shooter, and they always need athleticism in the paint, something that Zaza Pachulia doesn't provide.

Pachulia arguably has been the MVP of the team this season, but even he quickly admits that when it comes to defense, he does it more with brawn than rim-protecting.

Mostly, however, it's a shooter that could help them more than anything else.

Which brings us to whether it would be wise to get involved in any trade discussions for Kevin Martin or Joe Johnson. The prevailing wisdom is that both will be available for nothing at some point in March if their agents negotiate buyouts. In that case, either could sign with another team in time to be included on the playoff roster.

There are other scenarios. Denver, Minnesota, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers in the West, along with Brooklyn and New York in the East, are looking to deal.

The Nuggets, according to many reports, are fielding offers for big men Kenneth Faried and J.J. Hickson. The Mavericks would have interest in either, but again, what assets they would have to give up is the sticking point.

What it comes down to is that the Mavericks don't have the desire to make a huge deal and retool on the fly, which would push them back another year in their aim to be relevant again.

If a smaller deal presents itself that adds a piece that could help them in the short term and maybe is a keeper for the future, great.